


Sub Human

by Aristathelia



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Age Difference, Cat Harry Potter, Creature Harry Potter, Desi Harry Potter, Hand Feeding, Hybrids, Kitty Harry Potter, M/M, Master Severus, Master/Pet, Master/Slave, Potioneer Severus Snape, Scar damaged eye, Slave Harry Potter, Slavery, petting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:34:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27806158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aristathelia/pseuds/Aristathelia
Summary: “Is the eye completely blind?”It took Harri a few moments to realise that his Owner was speaking to him and not The Breeder. Did that mean he had permission to reply? The confusion must have been evident on his face. “You may speak. Are you blind in your right eye?”
Relationships: Harry Potter/Severus Snape
Comments: 23
Kudos: 336





	Sub Human

He was starting to get used to these auctions. Used to the eyes on him as he stood bare on the podium. He hadn’t been chosen yet and The Breeder told him it was because he looked too nervous, that he was scarred, that he was untouched.  _ People wanted a more educated and experienced slave _ , The Breeder had said.  _ They don’t want to have to train a slave themselves _ . That made a modicum of sense to Harri. 

Despite his nervousness he was conflicted about finding an owner. The Slaves that had returned to the center told him that Owners could be violent and mean. They had said that Owners took pleasure in seeing Hybrids hurt, in marking them. That was why Owners wanted unmarked slaves. They wanted their slave covered in nothing but  _ their _ marks. 

But Harri was already scarred. It had happened as a baby, but the scar forked down his forehead and cheek, through one milky eye. He was damaged. He had been told he would be put aside with the older slaves if they couldn’t sell him after this year. It would prove he was unwanted as a slave. 

His matted black tail curled anxiously around his bare thigh. He was trying to hold himself straight and not curl in on himself and hide. He hated being stared at like this, especially in this silence. The other Hybrids had stood while the crowd shouted bids. No one had spoken since he stepped up to the podium and it made him want to cry. As his furry ears flattened to his head he heard a slightly nasal voice from the right of the crowd. A tall man in black was holding up his paddle and he flushed when their eyes met. 

“Fifteen hundred Galleons for the black cat.” Despite the smoothness of the man's voice, it carried over the heads of the people between them. The fur on Harri’s tail fluffed up as a shiver ran down his spine. Even as dark eyes settled on The Breeder behind him, Harri couldn’t look away from him. This man could be his Owner. Thin lips moved as the man conversed with The Breeder but Harri didn’t hear it. Until the man stepped out of the crowd and up to the wooden stage. He was being bought. He was going to be owned. Momentary panic overtook him and his nails dug into his thighs. This man could hurt him, could scar him, and he wouldn’t be able to do a thing about it. 

A yank on his collar had him stumbling from the podium. His leash was a glowing strand of magic connected to the runes ringed around his throat. They were a solid black and looked like a muggle tattoo until activated, then they glowed with a golden light. They also tingled with warmth. 

The more trusted slaves had more runes than he did. Ones allowing them to use basic spells. His runes meant that he didn’t need to bathe and could be prepared for his Owner in seconds. He hadn’t been used like that as the other slaves had. He didn’t know whether to be grateful or not. 

He was yanked closer, his leash changing hands. Those piercing, dark eyes settled on him, intense in their assessment of him. He could feel it almost like a physical stroke over his bare skin. 

“Is the eye completely blind?” 

It took Harri a few moments to realise that his Owner was speaking to him and not The Breeder. Did that mean he had permission to reply? The confusion must have been evident on his face. “You may speak. Are you blind in your right eye?”   
  
“No, Sir. It isn’t as good as my other one, but it’s not blind.” He had a small issue with depth perception at times, but he could see through it. A thoughtful nod was his only reply before his Owner's gaze slid away. 

After the coin changed hands there was a small tug on his leash and his Owner turned. Harri fell into one step behind and to the side of him. Slaves walked behind their owners. He had been taught the basics, or as The Breeder called it, he had  _ been put in his place _ . He knew some of what was expected of him, so when an arm was offered, he rested his hand on it so his Owner could apparate them. 

The house that materialised in front of them was a reflection of the man next to him. It was tall, dark, foreboding. Short of a few gargoyles, but otherwise incredibly intimidating. Wherever they were was colder than the auction had been and he shivered as they walked up the path. The house was set back into a well tended garden, colourful and diverse plants surrounding the stone path on both sides. The shock of colour backed by the slate stone of the house was disorientating. 

The large front door creaked open as they approached, and closed silently behind them. The inside of the house was another jolt to the system. It was a house made of dark stone and yet the inside was warm wood and plush carpets. It looked  _ rich _ . No wonder his Owner had been able to pay for him in coin. He likely carried that much with him as pocket change. But he wouldn’t complain. The deep pile carpet felt like heaven on his bare, cold-numb feet. 

A sudden tingle rolled from toe to scalp and his ears twitched and flicked at the feel of it. A cleaning charm. He flexed his toes against the floor. They were no longer blackened like they always had been. He could see the paler skin between his toes. Evidently his Owner didn’t want him tracking dirt across his soft carpeting. 

Harri followed him further into the house, along the long corridor lined with muttering paintings. When it opened up into a large living room his lips parted. There were so many places he could curl up and nap. There was a window seat lined with cushions, looking sun warmed and cosy. The couch had a blanket folded over an arm. An armchair looked comfortable and well worn. He almost took a step forward in longing. 

“I was told your name was Harri and that I could change it if I wished. While I would like to, you appear old enough to be accustomed to it. Changing it now would be an arduous endeavour that I would rather avoid. I have much to teach you without the addition of more work.

You will address me as Sir or Mr Snape. If you prove to be an obedient pet, you will later be given permission to address me by my first name. Until then, we shall keep it formal. 

There are several empty guest rooms in this house. Still, you will stay with me. Depending on your behaviour you will sleep under the covers with me, at the foot of the bed, or in the pet bed residing in the corner of the room.” 

They moved slowly through the rooms as Mr Snape dictated how his life would be in this house. Harri was used to being told what to do, but he still had to force down his slight irritation. Hot headed, was another descriptor The Breeder had used to describe him. And had tried to beat out of him.    
  
“You will not be required to cook or clean. Tilly maintains this house and provides three meals a day. You will kneel by my chair as I eat and allow me to hand feed you the occasional nibble. When I am done, and only then, will you enjoy your own meal.”

Tilly appeared to do a good job because everything gleamed. Nearly everywhere he had been to before smelled faintly of dust. Each room smelled like wood, leather and whatever plants adorned the place. It was comforting and a little heady. It mixed well with the herb and mint smell of Mr Snape. 

“Any locked door is off limits.” - “The back garden is not off limits, but the greenhouses are.” - “Tilly only takes instruction from me.” - “You will clean yourself daily.” - “You will not touch me unless invited.” 

The instructions and rules kept coming up until they arrived back at the comfortable living room. It was almost like being back at the compound, just with softer and cleaner surfaces. And a lot less Hybrids. 

“You may speak when spoken to unless otherwise told. You can ask for my attention, but you may not get it all the time. I do not care for inane babble.” Here Mr Snape’s attention settled back on him, looking down the length of his hooked nose. “If you follow my rules you will find life here to be comfortable. Are you a good cat, Harri?”

Harri nodded, cheeks flushed, then hastily opened his mouth to croak, “Yes, Sir. I can be good.” 

A slim eyebrow arched, lips curling. “See to it that you are, Harri. For now, I have business to attend to so you are given free reign of your time. I will be back to find you in a few hours for dinner. Do not break anything.”

The second Mr Snape turned from him Harri bound over to the window seat, eager to test exactly how soft the cushions were.

It worked out that the window seat was incredible. The cushions were deep, the stream of sun warming him all over like sinking into a steaming bath. By the time his Owner had come back, Harri had been softly purring in his sleep, sprawled out on his back with his legs spread and an arm hanging off the side. Mr Snape woke him gently with a chilled hand against Harri’s bare stomach then led him toward the kitchen for dinner. After the warmth of the sunny window sinking onto the cold stone floor was painfully cold on his knees. 

Even though he had been warned, he still jolted when a hand appeared in front of his face. “Open your mouth, Harri.” He opened his mouth, face tipping up. A bite-sized piece of buttery potato was pushed into his mouth, stained fingertip stroking the tip of his tongue and lip as he closed his mouth and chewed slowly. The hand pulled away and returned with a chunk of cheese. He opened his mouth once he had swallowed and earned a soft, “Good boy.”

He had expected the act of being hand fed to feel incredibly dehumanising, like he was some mutt begging for scraps. But everything was cut small for him, the food tasted amazing, and after a while he found himself licking grease and salt off his Owner’s fingers simply to chase the flavour. His Owner’s soft rumble of approval made him warm on the inside.

He had never felt this cared for and pampered. Like his Owner simply wanted to treat him and show him affection. More potato followed, a few pieces of cooked meat, and with each one Harri closed his lips around Mr Snape’s finger. He sucked the flavour from his skin, tongue rasping along the fingertip. 

The rest of the meal was a slow affair. When he came back to himself, his cheek was resting on his Owner’s thigh and his entire body was rumbling with contentment. The hand that fed him had been cleaned and settled heavily in his hair, a thumb rubbing behind one of his ears. 

When he had been sold as a slave he had never thought that he would be treated like this. He had thought he would be hurt, be used, kept in a cold room and fed scraps. This was bliss. His stomach was full, he had napped in a sunbeam, and he was being petted like he had done something good. He didn’t know what all the other slaves had complained about. He rather enjoyed being owned.

“Since the meal is nearly over, you will accompany me to the couch and warm my lap while I finish my book. Then we will retire to bed for the night.” 

Harri hummed his agreement, cheek nuzzling into the warm thigh against his face. “Yes, Sir.” If the bed was as comfy or warm as the window seat, he would fall asleep quickly. 

When Mr Snape settled onto the couch, Harri slipped into his lap without needing to be prompted. It was warm and his Owner smelled good where he had buried his face against his side. He curled around him in a crescent shape, tail flicking and waving through the air slow and lazy. One hand had settled back in his hair and he butted up against it, body arching in a sinuous stretch. He exhaled a happy sigh. 

He had been in the compound for years watching other slaves leave. Some returned with stories of violence with extra scars and haunted eyes. Those had been the ones that had scared him. When he had finally been picked, he had almost expected violence. Maybe that was why he felt so content. The comfort and pampering was a shock, even if it was a pleasant one. 

When he woke up again he was pressed to his Owner’s chest, slim arms supporting his arse and back. He nuzzled sleepily into a neck mildly spiced with the scent of herbs and mint. “Di’ I fall aslee’, Sir?” He mumbled, voice drowsy and slow. His jaw cracked on a wide yawn. An almost silent huff of amusement hit his shoulder. 

“You did. It was very cute. Now we’re going to bed so you can sleep properly.” 

Harri replied with a happy sound, face rubbing into his Owner’s neck. The urge to groom him was strong but he kept a handle on it for now. He didn’t know if his Owner was receptive to being groomed. Some didn’t like it. He would find out eventually. But for now, they would sleep. 

Once he was released he plopped onto the bed and wriggled his way under the covers until the duvet was pulled up to his nose, eyes and ears poking out the top. He tried to be subtle while watching his Owner undress. The small smirk directed his way told him he hadn’t succeeded. Before he could acknowledge the heat spreading across his face, Mr Snape climbed into the bed and laid on his back, his arm extending. He looked at it curiously for a moment. 

“It’s an offer for contact, Harri. You can sleep against my side if you wish, though I won’t force you.”

Just as his Owner finished speaking, Harri burrowed himself into his side, tucking his face almost into his armpit until his face was moved by stained hands. “You do not want to sleep in there, Harri. It is warm and I would rather not sweat on your face.”

Harri didn’t know what the problem with that was, but his Owner’s scrunched face made him nuzzle into his neck instead, one leg and his tail wrapping around a hairy thigh. Drifting back off was easier still when he was wrapped around his Owner.


End file.
